The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8th, commemorates the birth of the woman chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of God. This feast has been celebrated since at least the 6th century.
The Gospels do not record Mary's birth. We know nothing from Scripture about her parents or early childhood. Yet the Church celebrates this event because it marks the beginning of salvation history's final chapter—the life of the one who would bear the Savior.
The Protoevangelium of James, a 2nd-century text not part of Scripture but valuable for understanding early Christian piety, names Mary's parents as Joachim and Anna (or Anne). According to this tradition:
While not canonical, this tradition shaped Christian devotion and art for centuries.
The Church celebrates only three birthdays: Christ's (December 25), John the Baptist's (June 24), and Mary's (September 8). All three were sanctified from the womb:
Mary's birth is celebrated because she was chosen before the foundation of the world to bear the Incarnate Word.
Saint John Damascene wrote: "This day is the beginning of our salvation... Today the barren Anna claps her hands for joy, the earth exults, kings sing hymns, and priests pronounce blessings."
Mary's birth is the dawn that announces the rising sun. Nine months after the Immaculate Conception (December 8), we celebrate the birth of her who would give birth to the Light of the World.
Exactly nine months before the Annunciation (March 25), this date follows the chronological logic of liturgical feasts. It falls in the midst of harvest season, symbolizing Mary as the fruit of God's patient cultivation of Israel.